Medical School Admissions - rejection, gap year

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a student applying this cycle? Are they a senior, or did they do a gap year(s)? If a gap year, what are they doing in the gap? How is it going?

DC did not apply widely and was "R"'d from top choice. May be forced to do gap year and reassess. Trying to determine what most valuable experience would be in the interim. Paramedic? Research? Not sure about research opportunities if not actively a student.

Depends on her weaknesses. Clinical related is always helpful. Reapplying applicants will have harder time next year. Why didn’t she just take a gap year to begin with. Hindsight is 20/20 I know.

Why will reapplying applicants have a harder time next year?

She can reapply obviously, but she needs to show "significant" changes from this cycle application. What makes it difficult is they know she got R'ed this cycle and if her application looks the same/similar, that's an easy reject. Each school has so many well qualified applicants, it makes it that much more difficult.

eh, this will only be true for the schools she's applied to this year. she'll apply more widely next cycle.

what about a post-bacc?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:MCAT is the most important criteria. If she can’t get into the right range, no point in reapplying.

At median for target schools, but agree it should be higher to stand out. It seems med schools only admit about 50% of applicants selected to interview, yet all those interviewed have scores that are "high enough" to be admitted, or they would not have been interviewed.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:MCAT is the most important criteria. If she can’t get into the right range, no point in reapplying.

At median for target schools, but agree it should be higher to stand out. It seems med schools only admit about 50% of applicants selected to interview, yet all those interviewed have scores that are "high enough" to be admitted, or they would not have been interviewed.

They probably wouldn't have even been sent secondary applications, if not in the range.

FYI for those reading, there are multiple hurdles before acceptance. If you look OK enough on paper after initially applying, schools will send you a secondary application. If not, you will be "R'd." If your secondary application passes muster, you may be selected for an interview. If not, you will be "R'd" at the secondary application phase. You cannot be accepted without an interview, but typically only 50-60% of those interviewed will be accepted. There is also the possibility of being waitlisted. It is quite the process.

[Anonymous]

Invaluable info on this website ~ studentdoctor dot net. At least for me, as a parent trying to make sense of the process

[Anonymous]

God this process! So intense. My DD graduated in May and now has a post-bac research fellowship in a lab and doing experiments so she can publish before applying next summer. Taking the MCAT in January, studying according to some plan, two hours a day marching thru the topics/books. It’s insane what they expect from applicants! Good luck on the second round, OP. Agree that it seems like a matter of beefing up the application in an area where they’re weak. And agree it’s not a race. The one kid I know who tried to start RIGHT after college didn’t have enough time to really study well and didn’t have the MCAT score he needed. He’s in a DO program now.Good luck!

[Anonymous]

For anyone with kids considering med school, recommend they spend some time speaking with practicing docs in the field/setting they are interested in. Physician burnout is a real thing and with the loss of nurses and other support staff during and following COVID, docs are having to do a lot more of the administrative tasks that leave less time to actually practice medicine. Also a lot of private practices are getting bought out by larger companies that reward quantity of patients seen over quality of time with patient.

For experience during a gap year, I've seen med students not coming directly from college who worked as lab managers/research assistants/lab techs in an academic research setting or at biotech/pharma, clinical research assistant, work associated with clinical trials support. Also support roles in work supporting patients (ie palliative care, hospice, hospitals).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone have a student applying this cycle? Are they a senior, or did they do a gap year(s)? If a gap year, what are they doing in the gap? How is it going?

DC did not apply widely and was "R"'d from top choice. May be forced to do gap year and reassess. Trying to determine what most valuable experience would be in the interim. Paramedic? Research? Not sure about research opportunities if not actively a student.

Depends on her weaknesses. Clinical related is always helpful. Reapplying applicants will have harder time next year. Why didn’t she just take a gap year to begin with. Hindsight is 20/20 I know.

Why will reapplying applicants have a harder time next year?

She can reapply obviously, but she needs to show "significant" changes from this cycle application. What makes it difficult is they know she got R'ed this cycle and if her application looks the same/similar, that's an easy reject. Each school has so many well qualified applicants, it makes it that much more difficult.

eh, this will only be true for the schools she's applied to this year. she'll apply more widely next cycle.

what about a post-bacc?

Incorrect.

[Anonymous]

Another option is to consider osteopathic schools with lower admissions standards

[Anonymous]

I work at a med school.

My advice = consider doing a master's program in anatomy/physiology during the gap (Georgetown has one and their med school admits many from it, and I think VCU has a similar master's degree as well but I'm less familiar with that one). Consider applying to DO programs.

[Anonymous]

Getting into medical school has always been challenging. Though it may not seem like any consolation, it seems as if the chances of an applicant in this era is easier than when I applied two decades ago when only about 1/3 of very qualified applicants could gain admission to ANY US medical school. I recall interviewing with folks from all the top schools knowing full well that only about 4-5 of the accomplished folks in the room (out of about 15) would get in anywhere.

There are so many more options now, not including foreign institutions, DO, and Podiatry programs.

It is less likely to encounter folks who have re-applied 10+ times and still get rejected. The door was closed to so many likely qualified students then.

Get the MCATs up. That is the key.

[Anonymous]

Can you share her MCAT score?

[Anonymous]

Yes, mine is in this cycle. No admits yet, one R, several interviews that went well. Not planning on a gap year. Fingers crossed!!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yes, mine is in this cycle. No admits yet, one R, several interviews that went well. Not planning on a gap year. Fingers crossed!!

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Keep in mind the post graduate degree will cost you $60k per year.

[Anonymous]

To the OP, how many schools did he apply to and how many secondaries did he receive?

The process is not for the faint of heart. I am surprised he received a rejection this early. Sometimes, you receive a rejection letter the following May. Applying to an undergrad felt like child’s play in comparison.